TOLPLAN OFFICES

RECEIVED A REGIONAL HONOURABLE MENTION FROM THE PRETORIA INSTITUTE FOR ARCHITECURE (2005/2006)

RECEIVED A NATIONAL AWARD OF MERIT FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS (2005/2006)

Tolplan is a Pretoria based consulting company specializing in the development and operation of Toll roads both nationally and internationally. They were tasked with the development of the award winning Diamond Hill & Baobab Toll plazas.

The site is located alongside Lynnwood Road with high motorist visibility. Although access is through an adjacent office park, the character of the area is mainly residential.

Tolplan required a small office building for 25 – 30 people, with individual private offices, reception areas, boardrooms, and ablution & entertainment facilities. Preference for natural light & visual contact with the outdoors were given as design parameters.

It was considered important that the building should fit into its direct residential context in terms of scale and urban fabric. To reduce the visual scale of the building it was broken down into smaller elements.

The building consists of two north facing wings housing the offices connected by a double volume entrance and circulation space. Mono-pitched roofs on the two wings allow for abundance of Northern light. The H-shape plan was shaped around two landscaped courtyards. All off the offices have direct visual access to either one these courtyards or the perimeter garden.

Parking is placed on the side and back of the building with as much landscaping in the front as possible. Entry to the building is via a timber bridge over a pond. The pragmatic internal circulation is straightforward and allows for easy navigation. Simple raw materials & textures were used and connections detailed in an uncomplicated manner.